Rochester Students Outperform State & Nation on ACT

St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - Just weeks after state officials reported another year of disappointing results from Minnesota’s standardized academic testing program, the company that administers one of the most popular college entrance exams is reporting the scores posted by Minnesota students remain among the best in the nation.

Statewide, the average composite score posted by members of the Class of 2017 on the ACT was 21.5. That’s up from 21.1 the previous year and is a half-point above the national average.

In the Rochester School District, the average composite score for students who graduated in the spring was 22.2.

Data released by the Minnesota Department of Education shows 66-percent of Rochester School District students met or exceeded the ACT Benchmark Score for English, 56-percent reached that target on the math portion of the exam, while 52-percent scored high enough to be considered “college ready” on the reading test. 48-percent of the Class of 2017 in the Rochester School District managed to reach or exceed the Benchmark Score of 23 for science, which is six-percent above the state average.